News

Diebold testing biometric hand geometry system on college campus

January 19, 2003

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Diebold Inc. (NYSE:DBD), a global provider of integrated self-service and security systems for banks, hospitals and government agencies, has installed a biometric hand geometry recognition system at West Virginia University (WVU).

Diebold is testing the system at WVU's Boreman North Residence Hall, according to a company news release. Following testing and additional software interfaces, the system will be installed in the Student Recreation Center.

The university has used Diebold's CS Gold single card identification system since 1995. Students can use the cards for a variety of activities, from access control to meal plans and stored value.

The hand geometry system is easy to use, according to Bret Tobey, Diebold's senior product manager for card systems. A student will enter his pre-selected, five-digit PIN, then place his hand in the reader. The scanner takes more than 90 measurements of the hand in terms of length, width, thickness and surface area in one second.

WVU already uses a retina scan keyless entry at the school's Crime Scene House and recently added an advanced automated fingerprint identification system to its forensic research facility.

"We've heard so much about WVU's first-of-its kind degrees in forensic identification and biometrics that it seemed a natural fit to add this type of high-tech service system to the WVU campus and complement what the school is doing on the academic side of the house," Diebold's chief operating officer, Wesley B. Vance, said in the news release.